


Lonely Water

by skepticseptic



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Genre: Fisher!Ryan, Graphic Description of Transformation, M/M, Merman!Shane, POV Second Person, Witch!Sara, merman au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-09
Updated: 2017-12-22
Packaged: 2019-02-12 11:14:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12958011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skepticseptic/pseuds/skepticseptic
Summary: Being on a boat by yourself in the middle of the ocean was just asking for you to see something you shouldn’t have. You guess it was only a matter of time before you had your own story tell.





	1. Let Me Look In Your Eyes

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by "Hold Back The River" by James Bay

                Being on a boat by yourself in the middle of the ocean was just asking for you to see something you shouldn’t have. You guess it was only a matter of time before you had your own story tell. You think back on that day fondly, even now as you drift into unconsciousness surrounded by inky darkness.

                It had been a slow day as far as fishing went, so you spent most of it just blankly staring at the water while your brain daydreamed various scenarios and fantasies. You blinked out of your daydreams to the sound of splashing toward the back of your boat; you stood up slowly, joints creaking in protest after being stationary for so long, and walked to the sound, curious as to what it was. You were expecting something silly, like a wayward seal or a dolphin, but this… you had no idea what to do with this.

                On the edge of your boat, a person had his arms propped on the side, his head resting on top of them. He was also staring at you with disturbingly bright amber eyes and a grin that was too toothy for your preference. You stopped in your tracks, staring back at him, unsure if this was just your daydreams breaking into reality or if you had actually lost your mind from being by yourself for so long. That toothy grin only got wider, revealing even more dangerously sharp teeth.

                There was no way someone would be this far out into the ocean, and yet… here he was, albeit very strange looking. A flicker of color and movement drew your eyes from the strange man’s to his ears, or what would be ears if there weren’t wine red fins. Now that you’re actually looking at him properly, you can see faint patches of pale pink scales scattered across his face and arms. Another splash caught your attention, drawing it to the water behind the man, where you caught the sight of an edge of a fin slipping back down into the dark water.

                You suddenly came to the realization that this was, in fact, not a normal person, but a merman. You were definitely seeing things from being alone for too long out at sea, there was no way that this creature was real and currently staring at you. You rubbed your eyes quickly, hoping it would dispel the illusion, but he was still there, still watching you with that toothy grin that put you on edge.

                A thought crossed your mind – if he was intent upon just staying there and staring at you for a while, why not draw him? Even if he really wasn’t an actual being that existed, it’d make for a pretty neat piece of art to keep for yourself. With that thought in mind, you went to the cabin of your boat, eventually digging out a sketchbook and a pencil after a few minutes of searching through the clutter.

                You brought it back out to the deck, and the merman was still there, seemingly just enjoying the sun at this point, his eyes closed and face relaxed. Sitting on the deck as close as you dared, you began to sketch him out, paying special attention to detail as you went. His facial features weren’t unlike yours, but his eyes were sloped a bit differently, his bone structure a bit more angular and sharp. His hands were also similar, but a thin webbing attached each finger to the next and his nails were almost black and looked to be sharp as knives.

                The merman watched you curiously as you drew his form out on the paper, small chirps sounding from his throat each time you looked up for reference. He seemed to understand what you were doing, and held still until you put the pencil down on the deck next to you. As soon as it touched it, he was slipping away back into the water, the only thing remaining of his presence being a quickly fading patch of bubbles next to your boat.

                Hopefully, you thought, this was only a weird daydream and it wouldn’t happen again. It wasn’t even the next day before that thought was completely dashed.


	2. Call Against The Tide

                You were desperately trying to sleep, but a melody was haunting your tiny cabin. It wasn’t a tune that you recognized, which made you all the more willing to just simply bury yourself in your blankets and ignore it. The only problem with that plan, however, is that you found yourself moving to get up out of bed against your better wishes, feet dragging on the floor as you ventured out onto the deck with a flashlight.

                The moon hung large and low in the sky, casting an ethereal light onto your boat and the ocean, and the stars glittered freely, no clouds or pollution of any kind masking their shine. The nameless tune was louder now, filling your ears with strange notes and tones. You walked your way to the edge of the boat, where the merman was not even a couple hours prior. There, staring up at you from just below the dark water, were those amber eyes again. They almost seemed to glow in the darkness, something you didn’t notice earlier.

                The melody seemed to be coming from him, as it quieted down from a near deafening roar into a barely there whisper as you leaned over the edge of the boat slightly, hoping to get a closer look at the merman. Against better judgement, you slowly slipped one of your hands down into the icy water and let it lay limp, letting the merman investigate before doing anything. You flinched slightly as one of his black nails grazed your hand, not expecting the contact. He played with your hand gently, splaying your fingers before swiftly pressing an object into your palm and wrapping your fingers around it. He was gone almost in an instant, a quick glimmer of red dancing along what you assumed to be his tail before he was completely out of sight, lost in the water again.

                You took your hand out of the water finally, the object still held in your palm. You wonder if that’s why he was singing, because he wanted to give you this thing. You uncurled your freezing fingers slowly, revealing a small oval stone that glowed under the moonlight. It was completely smooth and unmarred, truly a sight to behold. You held it close to your chest as you looked back into the water, hoping that the merman may return so you could thank him properly for the gift.

                You stared at the water for a moment longer before slipping the stone into your pocket and tearing your gaze from the moonlit water. You began the trudge back to your bed, intent upon returning to sleep’s sweet embrace. Unfortunately, your sheets and blankets had lost their warmth by the time you returned, leaving you curled up with teeth chattering for a time. There was no way that you could sleep, at least, not until you were able to warm up a bit more, so as an attempt to pass the time, you took the stone back out of your pocket to examine it.

                Even now, nowhere near direct moonlight, it still glowed softly, dimly lighting your sheets where you had placed it next to you on the bed. It was almost iridescent, with different colors flicking across its surface at random. As you watched the shimmering stone, sleep began to tug at your eyelids again, and you went happily.

                Your dreams were anything but happy, however.

                Voices spoke, but their words were muffled by water filling your ears. Drowning, you were drowning, your lungs screaming for air as the voices just became louder and more incoherent. You thrashed around, trying to swim to the surface that was always just a bit too far away, to the air that you’d never be able to reach. Darkness began to overtake the edges of your panicked vision, as you reached a hand out for the surface in one last futile attempt to just _breathe_. You opened your mouth, the salty ocean water rushing in and filling your lungs as your vision went out completely.

                You woke up with a start, sitting up quickly and breathing heavily as you tried to regain composure. As the early morning light flitted into your cabin, one word, one _name_ echoed in your mind, the only remnant of your nightmare remaining.

                _Shane._

                A thought crossed your mind briefly as you looked down on your bed, the curious stone still quaintly sitting in the sheets with you. Of the few people you knew, none possessed the name of Shane, but there was one uncertainty that presented itself to you: what was the merman’s name?

                Curiosity struck you like lightning as you scrambled to untangle yourself from the sheets that had wrapped around you while you thrashed in your sleep. You pulled on some clothing before stepping onto the deck, quickly making your way to the place that the merman frequented with the stone in hand. There, almost as you expected, those amber eyes were waiting.

                You mimicked the position you had been in earlier that night and leaned over the side slightly. This time, though, the merman poked his head out of the water, looking at you almost expectantly. With a voice rough from disuse, you asked it quietly.

                “Shane?”


	3. Distant Days Are Flashing By

                At your question, you received what could be an affirmative noise from the merman, followed quickly by an unceremonious splash of cold water directly to your face, causing you to drop the stone. You spluttered as he emitted a symphony of chirps that seemed to be almost _laughing_ , the sound continuing as you made a failed attempt to get the water out of your eyes. Once the stinging of the saltwater had abated, you shot him a playful glare, getting only a suspiciously mischievous grin in return. The next thing you knew, you were no longer kneeling against the side of your boat. That little fucker had pulled you in by your shirt, taking you overboard to the tune of his chirping laughter again.

                You surfaced quickly, your dark hair now plastered onto your forehead and your clothes completely soaked through. The salt in your eyes burned again, but you were too busy watching Shane dance through the water around you. The sight was enchanting; you couldn’t tear your eyes away from how dangerously graceful he was as he sliced through the water, the wine-red scales of his tail glimmering in sharp contrast to the blue of the ocean. He eventually stopped moving to float in front of you, his tail loosely wrapped around your legs and his fins brushing softly against your skin. One of them touched the bottom of your foot, causing you to jump as though you had been burned, subsequently leaving Shane in yet another giggle fit.

                The water still held the nighttime’s chill, soon leaving you shivering and your teeth chattering incessantly. You climbed out of the water and back onto your boat, eventually landing in a haphazard pile of cold and wet against the slowly warming wood of the deck. The sun had broken the horizon, the soft light and pink skies of morning progressing into the day’s usual bright heat. A sloshing sound and a loud thump prompted you to look up from where you had been basking in the warmth, leaving you in your own fit of laughter.

                Shane had tried to get up on the boat, only succeeding about halfway. His upper half laid flat on the deck, arms splayed crazily with his face smushed into the wood as his tail hung over the side, still mostly in the water. Muffled indignant sounds came from him as he tried to push himself up and forward, only succeeding on leaving gouge marks from his claws and landing on his face again. You were pretty much howling with laughter at this point, eventually devolving into breathy giggling as you got up to help him.

                You walked in front of him, being greeted by those amber eyes staring up at you grumpily and a loud displeased huff. You wrapped your arms just underneath his and quickly discovered that he was significantly heavier than you’d anticipated. With a bit of struggling on both of your parts, however, his tail eventually slid into the boat with a small thump, leading to him chattering happily as you helped him prop up against the side. You took a quick moment to go back into your cabin, peeling off your annoyingly damp clothing and replacing it with something a bit more dry, grabbing your sketchbook again as an afterthought as you moved back outside.

                Shane was sitting there peacefully with his eyes closed and leaned back against the side of the boat, the ocean air ruffling his dirty blond hair as a breeze blew past. In his palms lay the stone he had given you the night prior, recovered after being dropped earlier yet still looking totally unblemished. You wondered offhand if that was what caused your strange dreams before Shane noticed your returned presence and greeted you happily. You sat down next to him, pulling the sketchbook into your lap and flipping through your random doodles to the drawings you had made yesterday, planning to add more to the page while you were both relaxing.

                Shane watched you curiously as your pencil scratched across the paper, the errant lines slowly taking the form of the merman himself from when he had pulled you into the water earlier. You wanted to recreate that moment of wonder when he twirled himself around you, to capture that moment forever. You knew you couldn’t stay out to sea much longer, your supplies were dwindling and the boat needed some minor maintenance due to a storm that had passed by a week ago. Because of this, you were determined to perfectly capture the likeness of the merman next to you, in the case that you’d never see him again.

                That thought saddened you; you quite enjoyed his company, although you couldn’t speak the same language, you understood each other, and it was more than you could say for the few people you knew on land. You were pulled from your thoughts by Shane carefully tracing a nail along the lines you had drawn, a look of admiration dancing in the amber eyes that you’d come to love so much over the past two days. After a moment, he placed the stone on top of your sketchbook and began to squirm around, trying to flip over so he could get leverage and return to the ocean.

                You set the sketchbook aside and helped flip him over, also aiding when the weight of his tail got stuck again. He swam around the boat a few times, grinning all the while, until he eventually disappeared again. You let out a heavy sigh as you stared into the water, not wanting to return to land but knowing it was necessary. You wondered quietly if Shane would miss you, if he’d be confused when he came back the next day and the boat was gone. At least you had your drawings and the stone as a memory of what happened those days.

                You hoped that he would find you again when you returned to the ocean.


	4. Let Us Hold Each Other

                The journey back to land was the loneliest span of time that you’d experienced in a very long while. You kept to yourself mostly, solitude and silence had been quickly made friends, and yet now they were stifling with the absence of the merman. The stone that he’d gifted you had found a home in an inside pocket of your jacket, close to where your heart beat within your chest. It had quickly become one of your most prized possessions, a reminder that out in the ocean, you had someone waiting for your return. Beneath your shirt lay another of those possessions, a stray wine-red scale that you had found on the deck of your boat after the merman disappeared the last time that you fashioned into a makeshift necklace.

                Your sojourn back to land took almost 2 days and the sun had just begun to drop below the horizon as you tied off your boat to the dock. The people here knew your presence well, greeting you by name when you ventured to talk to them about the repairs and supplies you needed before returning to the ocean – and, hopefully, Shane. They agreed to put your boat into dry dock the following morning for a look over and do any maintenance it’d need. Satisfied by this, you said your goodbyes and returned to your boat, more than ready to let sleep take over.

                You dreamed of water around you again, but you weren’t drowning. It flowed around you quickly as you sliced through it, your tail flipping frantically behind you as you searched and searched for what felt like hours. _It’s gone, it’s gone, where is it, I need to find it, it can’t be gone, no, no, no…_ What were you looking for in the first place? You felt disconnected to your dream, as if you were simply riding along with something, someone else.

                Eventually, your swimming slowed down before you came to a rest, floating in place while your thoughts filled with despair. You heard a thumping sound coming from somewhere, the noise beginning to pull you out of your dreams, a loud and lonesome wail echoing through your mind as you roused from your sleep. Blearily, you opened your eyes and just laid there for a moment, pondering the surreal dream you’d just had. Your thoughts were interrupted by the thumping noise again, someone was knocking at the door to your cabin. You dragged yourself from your bed and towards the door, opening it to find the people who agreed to work on your boat.

                A brief moment later found you dressed properly and standing on the dock, watching carefully as the people guided your boat onto the platform. The repairs would take a decent chunk of time, leaving you without your personal space for a while. A bored mind and adventurous feet eventually led you out of the docks and into the small seaside town surrounding it. Although it was tiny compared to most places, it had its fair share of interesting hidden places, plenty of small shops and hole in the wall restaurants scattered among its stone paved streets. The buildings were quaint, the paint once adorning them washed out from the near constant sea breeze that whipped around them.

                You walked along the streets slowly and aimlessly, peering into shop windows as you passed out of curiosity. There weren’t a lot of other people wandering around that day, but you kindly greeted those you did come across. After some time, you found yourself in a more secluded part of the town that was built on a small cliff overlooking the ocean, your feet leading you to a small park nearby and a bench that faced out toward the sparkling water. You sat there for a while, watching the sunlight glint off of the waves rolling onto the shore below and listening to the leaves of the trees around you rustle as the wind brushed through them. The longer you watched it, the more you felt your mind want to wander to Shane and the dream you had earlier. You’d reached the conclusion that it was, in fact, not merely a random scene that your brain had conjured up, but rather a look into Shane’s ensuing panic after realizing you had been gone. The forlorn wail still haunted the recesses of your mind as you were pulled from your thoughts by a stranger sitting next to you.

                This was an odd occurrence, as you kept to yourself and most people avoided you anyway, so although you were cautious, curiosity took hold. She was short and slim, even more so than yourself, and dark curls that progressed into a light purple framed her face. She was quite pretty in a mysterious, almost ethereal way. Before you could introduce yourself, the stranger stopped you with a hand.

                “I know who you are, Ryan Bergara, and I know what you’re seeking without realizing it for yourself. Who I am doesn’t matter in the long run, just the part that I play in your story. Your fate and the merman’s are intertwined, though how I cannot say. All I can offer is the catalyst that will bring you to that point, and nothing more. All I require from you,” she paused, her gaze now fixed solidly on you, something otherworldly dancing behind her eyes, “are the items that lay beneath your shirt and in your jacket pocket. They will be returned, no harm done to them.”

                Your suspicions grew with each sentence that flowed from her mouth. This stranger shouldn’t know any of that information, much less the stuff about Shane and the things that you kept on your person. If mermen were real though, how much of a stretch would be a witch or a seer? As you came to your conclusion, she held her hand out between the two of you, obviously waiting for you to hand the two items over. Ever so slowly, you reached into your shirt and took the makeshift scale necklace out, snapping the thin line you used to put it together and placing it into her hand. You received the hint of a smile in return as she placed the scale into a small pouch tied at her waist.

                The stone, however, you were less willing to give up to a stranger, even if she happened to know things she shouldn’t. She didn’t seem deterred by your hesitation though, patiently waiting as you simply held the iridescent stone in your palm for a while. Sure, you had the drawings of Shane and everything, but these were the only tangible objects you had of his existence, and if this stranger was lying to you, it’d be the worst loss of your life. Even knowing that, the thought still niggled in your brain of _what if she’s telling the truth? What were you seeking that you didn’t know? And what about your fate being together with Shane’s?_ Simply put, the fear of not knowing those answers motivated you to carefully place the stone into her palm, the item soon joining the other in the pouch.

                “I know giving them up was difficult, and I appreciate your cooperation. Come here again tomorrow, and I will return you your precious items and gift you that which you seek.” She stated as she swiftly got up from the bench and walking away, leaving you alone to the cliff and the ocean again. You were startled to find that the sun was already sitting low and heavy on the horizon, coloring both the sky and the sea in burnished reds and oranges. Your interaction with the strange lady had felt like only 20 minutes at most, and yet it appeared that multiple hours had passed.

                Feeling at odds and incredibly confused, you made your way back into the busier parts of town and to the docks, finding your boat sitting in the water once again. A quick discussion with the people who had done the minor repairs had informed you that your boat was now good to go again, and the cost was much cheaper than you were expecting. You shelled out the money to them before making your way back to your boat. You climbed into the floating vessel and into the cabin, intending to sleep before meeting with the stranger again the next day.

                The only problem with this intention, however, was the fact that sleep refused to come to you that night. You lay awake and stared at the ceiling, watching as moonlight filtered in and how the shadows moved across the small space during the night. It was frustrating to say the least, and you tossed and turned continuously trying to find any spot or position that would maybe let you sleep, yet still it didn’t come. You couldn’t help but think that maybe it was because the stone wasn’t with you, as you’d almost never experienced insomnia, and certainly not to this extent.

                When it did come, it was in fits and bursts, nothing to write home about. You also didn’t dream, or at least, you didn’t remember dreaming. Sunlight seemed to burst into your cabin again way too early in your opinion. You wished the night were longer so that maybe, just maybe you could’ve gotten a halfway decent sleep, but unfortunately that was not the case. The area around the dock was coming to life with the touch of the sunlight, people beginning to filter out to cast off or do work and sea birds squawking loudly as they scavenged for scraps left behind.

                With a beleaguered sigh, you sat up and threw your legs over the side of your bed, sitting there for a few moments with your tired head in your hands as you attempted to convince yourself that this was a day worth getting up for. You vaguely remembered the stranger and her promise, and although you were exhausted, it was enough to motivate you to get dressed and meander your way back to the bench on the cliff. It took longer than it had the day before, whether it was because the anticipation or the lack of sleep was left unknown. You let your feet guide you back to the place, finding that the stranger had not yet arrived, the bench unoccupied.

                Another sigh escaped as you sat down, leaning back into the corner and tilting your head back. The sunlight warmed your face pleasantly and the breeze flowed around you, tussling your hair, lulling you into that long-awaited drowsiness that you had seeked during the night. You felt yourself drifting off, and you went along with it happily, the thought of the stranger pushed into the corner of your mind as sleep embraced you. Once again, no dreams made their appearance through the duration of your nap.

                You woke up only because a leaf had dropped on your face, startling you enough to shake you back into consciousness. You went to brush it off, only to find that a note had been left on your arm as you had slept. Opening the note, the small pouch that the stranger had worn the day before fell out, hitting the ground with a small clink. You picked it up quickly, pulling the strings to open it and finding the necklace, fixed and intact, the stone, no damage done to it, and a curious bottle containing a metallic blue liquid. After returning your items to their respective places and placing the bottle in the pocket with the stone, you picked the note up again.

               

                _Ryan,_

_Within the glass bottle lies the catalyst for your fate. What it’s purpose is will remain unclear until the proper time presents itself. Until then, return to the ocean, Shane is waiting for you._

_-Sara_

                 

                You knew what you had to do. Even though you’d had a practically sleepless night, the itch to go back out into the ocean was hard to resist, especially with Sara’s remark in her note. The next few hours were spent hastily gathering supplies and loading them onto your boat, with the hope to embark at daybreak the following day. You were determined to find Shane again, and discover exactly how your fates intertwined. The small bottle that lay within your jacket grew heavy with an unknown purpose.


	5. Tried To Keep You Close To Me

                Not long after you had begun your venture out to sea, a storm began to brew on the horizon. The dark grey, almost blue clouds hung threateningly, gathering more and more as the minutes ticked by. You had been through your fair share of large storms in your time, but even this concerned you greatly. Nevertheless, you pushed onwards, the thought of returning to Shane at the forefront of your mind, and you weren’t about to let a storm stop you.

                Over the next few hours, the wind began to pick up, howling and swirling around the cabin of your boat where you had escaped after nearly being blown off of the deck. Rain pelted incessantly against it and waves rocked the boat in a near sickening pattern. You fared a peek out of the small window, but your sight was obscured by the heavy rain that was nearly falling horizontally with how strong the wind was. Blinding light flashed and a crash of thunder sounded, both way too close for your liking. You backed away from the window, pressing your back against a nearby wall and sliding down to sit on the floor.

                The boat rocked dangerously, the hull beneath you groaning with each hit of the waves. It was taking a toll on your boat, and you could only hope that the repairs that had been done would hold. Your hopes were soon dashed, however, after a particularly strong wave brought a splintering noise with it. Dread filled your bones as the sound was followed by rushing water and the floor beginning to tilt. You scrabbled out of the cabin and back onto the wind whipped deck to the sight of another impossibly large wave heading straight for your now sinking vessel.

                Paralyzed by fear, you could only brace yourself and watch as the watery behemoth rushed closer. You felt it begin to pick the boat up, the wave raising it to an astounding height and slamming it back down again. The motion threw you from the deck, leaving you to fall into the roaring ocean. Under the water was unnervingly muffled and quiet compared to what was happening above it. You struggled to reach the surface again, the weight of your clothing now drenched thoroughly attempting to keep you under. Just as your lungs had begun to scream for air, you breached the surface. The debris of your ship floated around you, nothing left but a couple planks.

                You swam over to one that was close by, hooking your arms over it and treading water to keep yourself floating. Wave after wave washed over you, trying to rip you from what little hope you had remaining. The pelting rain eventually began to lighten, the howling wind slowing down to a brisk breeze, and the waves losing momentum. You looked to the sky, finding the imposing clouds starting to break up again, revealing small patches of blue.

                You could feel the exhaustion and cold creeping up on you, your teeth chattering and the movements of your legs slowing. Your mind flashed briefly to the bottle in your pocket, wondering if now was the time to use it. You were probably going to die anyway, you were well out into the ocean and the likelihood of someone finding you in time was slim at best. With that conclusion in mind, you dragged a shaky hand out of the water and into your jacket pocket, pulling out the small glass bottle. The metallic liquid inside shone with the slow return of the sunlight, giving it an enchanting quality.

                The cork popped out easily enough, much to your relief. Shakily, you raised it to your lips, downing it in a few short gulps. It was bitter, almost unbearably so, and it coated the inside of your mouth and throat, choking you. You coughed and gagged, flailing helplessly as a burning pain began emanating from your insides. You thrashed in the water, causing you to let go of the plank keeping you afloat and begin to sink again.

                Your hands were wrapped around your throat as you struggled and sank further down into the inky depths. The pain you were in was so immense, it had no comparison; you could feel the bones in your legs snap out of place and fuse together as the muscles tore apart and reformed together into one mass. Skin hardened and broke apart, forming metallic blue scales along what once were your legs, and was now a tail. Fins grew along it as a shooting pain began suddenly along your spine, the skin splitting in a line as spines grew from your vertebrae, joined by a thin membrane. The splitting sensation moved to your forearms next, and you watched with wide eyes as spines appeared there as well. Membranes grew between your outspread fingers, and your nails fell off one by one, soon replaced by sharp black claws.

                You still couldn’t breathe, your lungs beginning to tighten with the lack of air. The skin along your ribs on either side ripped apart, and you let out a silent scream as your insides restructured themselves. Thankfully, you found yourself able to breathe again, but the pain still remained, now centered on your face. The cartilage and bone of your nose cracked and flattened, leaving you with little semblance of a nose remaining. You winced as your ears restructured, hearing each pop and crack of the cartilage as it unraveled and became fins. Next came your teeth, forcing you to spit each bloody tooth out as they were replaced with sharp fangs. You squeezed your eyes shut tightly when the pain traveled there, stretching your pupils into cat-like slits and making your irises glow softly in the darkness of the water. When you opened your eyes again slightly, you found that you could now see almost perfectly.

                The pain began to abate, leaving you to your new existence beneath the waves. You had sunk to the ocean floor during your transformation, your shredded clothing scattered around you. Your hand flashed to your neck, finding the necklace still securely around your neck. A quick search of your clothing also located the stone. Your finger had barely grazed it when you were suddenly aware of another being, not far from where you were. As soon as that thought registered, the presence began to move, beelining exactly in your direction at an incredibly fast rate.

                You panicked a little bit, not sure what had just happened with the stone or what the thing was that was coming towards you. You attempted to swim, but it was much different and considerably more difficult with your new appendages. You’d only struggled a couple feet away before the presence was practically on top of you. A flash of red was all the warning you had before you were ran into by a solid mass, knocking you flat against the ocean floor. You propped yourself, elbows digging into the sand as you were greeted by the face you never thought you’d see again.

                There Shane was, in all of his glory, staring at you with a mix of awe and happiness. You offered him a grin that now matched his, and found yourself being kissed briefly. Shane reached down and took your hand, tugging you along with him. It wasn’t long before he realized that you had no idea how to swim in this form, and after a small time of chittering laughter, he showed you how it worked. It took you a little while to get a hang of it, but you were soon zooming around easily, keeping up with Shane’s playful racing.

                There was a lot to get used to, but now you had Shane by your side, something you could only wish for just a few days ago. You sent a silent thanks to the witch lady for making it possible before turning your attention back to Shane, who was leading you to where he stayed.

                You always thought you belonged with the ocean more anyway.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading this!
> 
> Kudos and comments are much appreciated :)
> 
> If you want to come yell with me about AUs, tag me in stuff, or send me prompts, you can find me on tumblr [here](http://www.skeptic-septic.tumblr.com)
> 
> Cheers!  
> -Lee


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